Half Japanese – Charmed Life – Ltd Ed, Blue, Colored Vinyl, Reissue, Fire Records, 2019

Limited blue #vinyl LP reissue of one of my all-time favorite records.

From Pitchfork:
“Compared to Music to Strip By, Charmed Life is fuller, more realized, and simply greater. There’s a bright hook, a snappy turn of phrase, or a funny story in every song. Tunes pour into each other to build a narrative, detailing an earnest journey toward some kind of love. And the band is synced almost telepathically, their flowing parts connecting like puzzle pieces. Particularly valuable is Fleming, whose voice serves as an airy ghost of Jad’s, echoing his sentiments like a best-friend chorus. The result is a thoroughly happy record that still sounds wise and wistful.”

Track listing
1. “Said and Done” 2:53
2. “Penny in the Fountain” 1:58
3. “Evidence” 2:04
4. “Vietnam” 2:00
5. “Roman Candles” 2:22
6. “Love at First Sight” 2:43
7. “Snake Line” 2:08
8. “Bright Lights, Big City” 2:10
9. “Face Rake” 0:59
10. “Later in a Magazine” 1:28
11. “Red Dress” 2:16
12. “Charmed Life” 1:47
13. “Day and Night” 2:53
14. “1,000,000,000,000 Kisses” 1:55
15. “Terminator” 1:58
16. “I’ll Change My Style” 2:18
17. “Charmed Life” 1:59
18. “Trouble in the Water” 3:00
19. “Miracles Happen Every Day” 2:20
20. “Fortunate” 2:05
21. “Poetic License” 2:08
22. “Day and Night” 3:51
23. “1,000,000 Kisses” 2:06
24. “Madonna Nude” 1:35
25. “I’ll Change My Style” 2:35
26. “George Steele” 1:57
27. “Real Cool Time” 8:54
28. “How Many More Years” 2:13
29. “King Kong Bundy” 1:53
30. “Something New in the Ring” 1:15
31. “Terminator” 1:56

Jad Fair – guitar, harmonica, vocals
David Fair – guitar, harmonica, vocals
Don Fleming – guitar, vocals
John Dreyfuss – organ, saxophone
Rick Dreyfuss – composer
Mark Jickling – bass guitar, guitar
John Moremen – guitar
Jay Spiegel – drums
Don Zientara – engineer, mixing